An Effect to Start the Show
Hey everyone! I'm sharing an effect I came up with using an app I stumbled upon online (the only catch is it requires an internet connection, at least the free version). You can use it for free, and there's also a paid option.
It's similar to the Invisible Deck. Anyway, here it is; I'd appreciate any feedback or suggestions for improvement, etc.
Cheers,
Patter
“We live in a world where everything is connected. In fact, technological advancements aim to enable this level of connection. The clearest example is the mobile phone, which not only allows communication between humans but also lets us connect with other devices, equipment, etc. Well, us magicians aren't going to be left behind, so I'm going to try and establish a connection between my mobile phone and a deck of cards.”
Effect
The magician displays a cased deck and leaves it in plain sight.
A spectator selects a card on the magician's mobile phone.
The magician passes the phone over the deck.
The magician, or the spectator, removes the deck and shows that the chosen card is the only one reversed.
Setup
Place the force card (the one you'll force with the app) reversed in the middle of the deck, inside its case.
Method
The magician displays a deck in its case and sets it on the table, in plain view. He then takes out his mobile phone and launches the application Select a Card (https://apkcombo.com/es/magic-trick-force-a-card/com.emre.selectacard/) while telling the patter.
Then he shows a sequence of cards on the phone that flash by rapidly, and each time the screen is tapped, it stops on a card. He does this several times to demonstrate that it can stop on any card.
Finally, a spectator selects a card using the previously demonstrated method. Then the magician moves the phone, displaying the selected card's image, over the deck to “establish the connection.”
Upon removing the deck from its case and performing a spread, all the cards are facing one way, and only the spectator's chosen card is reversed.
Bonus
The effect can be repeated a second time, as the app allows for forcing two cards. For this, you would just need to have the second force card prepared in the deck and reverse it when placing the cards back in the case. All of this, of course, without the audience noticing (the card could be on the bottom; it could be reversed with the left hand while held by the right hand at the short ends (the classic handling), and then with a swing cut it's set in place).
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The app is cool. I'm not sure if I'd use it, but it's good to have resources.
I suppose, depending on the audience, they might question if it's a completely random selection. If people doubt the veracity of election results, imagine for an app installed on your phone. The people I perform for would definitely question it, but maybe there are more innocent folks out there. I don't know, anything that involves technology and isn't integrated organically into the routine usually raises suspicion; it all has to be very clean and justified.
I don't know how old you are, @ricardorg2283. The routine is great for a beginner, perfect for performing for kids or your family. But let me tell you, even if you use these things as a resource (which, I repeat, I don't think is bad under certain circumstances), it's better to use "analog" forces – the tried-and-true ones with your hands. They're infinitely more believable and astonishing – after all, that's what we're aiming for with magic.
Best regards and keep advancing.
Hi there. Thanks so much for your input; it's really valuable to me.
@DeZeta:
I totally agree. I think for it to work, you have to convince the spectator that the app is completely "innocent," like one of those that generates random numbers (well, this one does it with cards).
I once used one that I think was called "Any Card" (or something similar), in the style of "think of a card," "tell me," and boom! it appears on the phone. And of course, they think the phone is gimmicked, but I let them try (and no matter how much they tapped the screen, a different card would come up).
@DeZeta:
I'm 40, and I've only been doing magic for a year (my anniversary is coming up these days, though I don't remember the exact date lol) as a hobby, just for friends and family (at least for now), but I do enjoy learning as much as I can.
@DeZeta:
I also thought about replacing the phone with a force bag (where something similar happens: I first have to convince them that any slip of paper could come out), or even using another deck (it just occurred to me that this last idea could be useful for a deck switch).
Cheers, thanks for the help.
How about you give the routine a twist:
The spectator freely selects a card (hint: force).
Use the app to magically trap the card on the phone screen (hint: Double Lift).
You show the selected card (wink wink) now blank, because its value is now on your phone.
You put the blank-faced card into the box.
You pass the phone over the box and magically make the card reappear inside (hint: repositionable glue).
You show the phone blank and, upon opening the box, inside is "O WAIT!" the card chosen at the beginning.
This is just a quick brainstorm, but it justifies using the phone and gives you two really magical moments with the app. Hope you like it!
I like the idea.
A few questions (and sorry to bother you):
-What's the "wink wink"?
-Regarding the repositionable glue... I haven't seen that here (I live in Cuba).
-How do I get the phone to display a blank card, since the app doesn't let me force a blank card?
Regards and thanks
Hey @DeZeta, thanks so much for these fantastic contributions. Even the method you use to describe the routine is awesome. I usually just write everything straight through (no tables), and sometimes I have a hard time understanding my own notes. I wasn't familiar with those concepts of internal life / external life, and they've really been a huge eye-opener for me.
Also, thanks for clarifying the trick.
Cheers and Merry Christmas!
I think this force is a bit basic; a "manual" force is often more impressive since it doesn't raise as much suspicion of being "tricky." But I like it for a specific audience, namely a younger crowd that's really into technology. It's a good way to grab their initial attention (as you mentioned) and pave the way for more complex effects.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I'm sure each of us can adapt it to our own style of magic, just as our friend DeZeta suggests.
Thank you so much for your input.
Merry Christmas!
Is the app available for any mobile device?
I already have the app, but I don't know how to force the card.
@Pablo200:
Hey there. You'll need an internet connection for it to work. The settings button explains how to use it. It's simple: first, you enter the cards you want to force into the designated field. The other field is for the "Riffle" timing (if you want to call it that), which defaults to 1ms (I kept it that way).
So, you activate/deactivate the force using the volume keys (volume up to activate, volume down to deactivate).
Cheers